Journal | March 12, 2025
Sap Flow and Pruning
While you wouldn’t know it given this week’s temperatures, spring is a bit late this year. We are seeing very little sap flow (bleeding) after pruning cuts are made. Usually by mid-March the sap flows in abundance.
There are about three more weeks of pruning remaining. We’ve been scattered, with each of us working on different varieties and blocks, but soon we will all be converging on Cabernet Sauvignon. We save Cabernet for last. It is the last variety to bud out, so we have some wiggle room if we get behind in the pruning. Chardonnay average bud break is April 20, while Cabernet is May 1.
Cabernet is also susceptible to wood diseases that can enter the vine through fresh pruning wounds. If pruning takes place late in the season, the sap flow can flush out disease organisms, helping prevent infections. So when you visit the winery this time of year, don’t be alarmed if you still see unpruned vines. It’s part of a plan.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: March 12, 2025